Punching Bag Workout

Normally, most people are taken by surprise when they hear about a heavy punching bag workout being one of the best possible full body workouts. Chances are, you too may be one such surprised reader. In that case, you would do well to read through the remainder of this article and get some first hand information on how and why is a punching bag a good workout option for the common man (and woman!). Also featured in the later part of this article is some information regarding a beginner punching bag workout routine.

What is a Punching Bag Workout?
Before we move on to how to work out with a punching bag, let us first tackle this basic question - what exactly is a punching bag workout? Well, a proper punching bag workout (or heavy bag workout, as it is sometimes referred to) is basically a combination of punching and kicking a heavy punching bag in a variety of ways, by means of which you end up exercising different muscle groups of your body. Some people prefer to focus only on the 'boxing' part of it, i.e. punching the heavy bag for a certain period of time using different types of 'punches'. Others employ a combination of both punching as well as kicking, which in turn, makes for a complete body workout.

How to Work Out with a Punching Bag?
Let us now have a look at how to work out with a punching bag. The following are certain prerequisites for a punching bag workout session:

• Good quality leather or vinyl punching bag (duh!)
• Pair of boxing gloves or punching gloves
• Wrist wraps or wrist tape
• Hand wraps or hand bandages

Before you begin with your workout, it is important to ensure that the heavy bag is properly positioned. Therefore, after you have hung the punching bag from the ceiling, make sure that it is secured properly to the swivel bracket and that it is at a comfortable height. Wear a pair of exercise shorts and a sleeveless vest (so that you are comfortable and your hands have maximum freedom of movement). Wrap your hands using hand wraps or bandage strips. For added measure, utilize the wrist wraps or the wrist tape so that you do not accidentally sprain your wrist. Finally, put on the punching gloves and tie them securely. Now that you are ready to go, here is a sample beginner punching bag workout routine.

Punching Bag Workout Routine
First and foremost comes the five minute warm-up. A warm-up is essential for each and every form of workout, regardless of whether it is a punching bag workout or an aerobic exercises workout or a weight training workout. A simple way of warming up is doing a couple of minutes of spot jogging followed by 50 step-ups (25 for each leg). Stretch all your body muscles to make them nice and loose. Once you feel your body warmed up, you can then proceed to the actual workout. Now ideally, you should divide your entire workout into multiple sessions (or 'rounds', in the case of boxing terminology). So instead of punching away non-stop for a marathon session of 12 minutes (mind you, when it comes to punching, anything over 10 minutes is a marathon!), you should ideally divide your workout into four 3-minute sessions or six 2-minute sessions. Have a breather for around 30 to 60 seconds after every round so that it gives you some time to recover and prepare yourself for the next round. Typically, a 2-minute round can comprise the following types of punches:

• Right and left straight punches
• Right and left jabs
• Right and left hooks
• Right and left uppercuts
• Right and left cross punches

Now the number of sets and their individual repetitions for each type of punch will depend on your strength, stamina and skill-set. Initially you can begin with 10 of each type and gradually increase the number as your stamina increases. With a variety of punch types, you can have various permutations and combinations when it comes to punching routines. You can have a hook-jab-cross-uppercut pattern, a cross-hook-cross-jab-cross-jab-cross-hook pattern, an uppercut-cross-hook pattern and many more. By googling around on the Internet, you will be able to understand what exactly these punch types are, what is the correct technique involved, etc. Here is a bit of information on boxing tips and techniques.

Once you gain a certain amount of confidence with your punching workout, you can then think of taking it to a higher level by adding a bit of kicking or kick-boxing. Finally, once you're done with your workout, you should lie down on your back, close your eyes and relax as you wait for your body to cool down.

This was a short introduction to punching bag workouts. Weight watchers will be thrilled to know that punching bag workouts are a fantastic way of losing weight. For your benefit, here is some more information on boxing workouts to lose weight. So what are you waiting for? Punch away!